Well for one I didn't call for Mallet. But if he knew Hoyer was better why did he put him in the second half of the first game? Why did he even give Mallet a $2.5 mil contract?
So it doesn't matter that the defense gave up 21 points in 4 tries; didn't have any sacks till the 4th quarter and ended the game with just one, and couldn't get any turnovers? It's okay because they had a couple of stops in the 4th quarter? Please don't forget that Woods and Clay dropped passes that would have been a sure touchdowns, so it could have been even worse. That last drive could have been for a game winner instead of just to get within three. This team is built defense-first. Do you know how many first round picks are on that side of the ball? There are only two on offense right now. The defense has to be the more dominant side of the football. Bottom line is this was a team loss. Too many mistakes on offense, defense, and special teams. Defense doesn't get a pass.
Stopped reading by this point cause this sounds like you have trouble understanding. Did the defense did or did not gave the offense the opportunity to win? I'll explain it to you like you were 5. Defense job = stop oppenent offense. Offense job = score point Game tied w/ 9 minutes left. How many pts did The bills scored in 2nd up til the last 2 minutes of the game? How many opportunity did our offense get after the scored was tied?
Don't get cute. You're taking a section of the game and saying the defense did their job when they didn't do it before and after your little sample size. I could easily say that the offense did their job to tie the game after the defense dug them in a hole. I could say the defense didn't do their job by keeping the Bills from scoring after the game was tied. Or what about giving up 180+ yards rushing? Did the defense do its job then? Advice: don't accuse someone of not understanding, try to bring it down to a 5 year old level and then post gems like "How many pts did The bills scored in 2nd up til the last 2 minutes of the game?"
Why did Tom Brady slip to the 6th round, and then why was he a backup to start the season behind the aging/slipping Drew Bledsoe? Why did teams pass on Kurt Warner several years in a row... and then pass on him again after he was dumped from STL and New York? Why did Tony Romo go undrafted... and again had to sit behind Drew Bledsoe (of all people) when many said he was ready to play? Why did Ryan Leaf go #2 in the draft? (and was thought by many GM's to be better than Peyton?) Why did David Carr go #1 in the draft... and then get a chance with an entirely new regime/system? I think you're confusing these coaches with fortune tellers... nobody can predict what these guys are capable of till you see them in actual game action in the right systems. Yes, Mallett ended up being what most saw from him in training camp and he lived up to the attitude/conduct issues that caused him to slip in the draft in the first place... but he was coming off some glimpses of having the ability to step up his performance when the games mattered (both last year and in the first game this year). It ended up being a mistake... BOB's admitted it, and the team seems to have moved on and recovered from it. I suggest you and other fans do the same.
yea, but how realistic is it for the defense to always hold the offense under 9pts, no passing TDs, etc. that they've been doing during the 4 game win streak? This ain't madden. Buffalo coaches did a great job planning for this game. How bout giving them credit? Do you really expect our opponent to always be held under 9pts? This is the NFL, not some high-school or college chit. Bills coach did a good job game-planning for our defense. Their head coach is a defensive guru, so of course he would be able to spot ways to get at them. RAC did a good job making adjustments and our D played the way they're capable of in the second half. Plain and simple.
You're not going to win many road games in the NFL by giving up 21 points in a half (or 30+ total).... also, people severely underrate Greg Roman and Tyrod Taylor... that is all.
Another thing too, after we tied the game. Our offense couldn't move the ball at all and we kept giving the Bills good field position. They kept having a go at our defense until we got burned. Really interested to see the Time of Possession/how many plays ran for both offense after the game got tied and before the Bills got their quick score. Pretty sure we couldn't even get a first down, while Bills were chipping away. Guess what? That means our defense were gonna get gas quicker. Also Bills were #1 in big plays this season(IIRC), so pair that with Rex Ryan who's gonna keep seeing what our defense is doing and make adjustment within that last 9 minute mark... of course we were gonna get burn if our offense wasn't putting up. Basically it was our offense was sucking so much that they were either hoping for either OT or for our defense to score points. And that's absolutely pathetic. You can tell on JJ Watt face after Hoyer & co went 4 and out what he thought about them.
True. But the half is the half. It's about how we finish that made it such a hard loss. Our defense gave it everything in the second half. Our offense has no closers (beside Yates) and I can only imagine how frustrating that is for the defensive guys.
We are not talking about 9 points. We are talking about 21 points in four possessions. You know the defense gave up more points than the Texans scored in every game of tbeir four game winning streak. Yes Buffalo did a great job. A better job than the Texans. That includes the defense. You keep talking about the 2nd half like the Bills didnt score then. And why werent they prepared in the 2nd half. They play like that the next two weeks, and they can kiss the division goodbye. Luckily I think they willl bounce back.
If we gave up 21pts in four possessions than that mean our defense held them to nothing for the rest of the way. Specific points isn't the problem here. It's the fact that people expect them to be all-worldly against every team, and every coach. Road or home. Rex is one of the best defensive mind there is, so he's gonna find ways to attack us early on, especially with an offense that's #1 in big plays. Our defense didn't let it get out of hand while our offense was trying to keep us in the game. 21pts is alot in a half, but they kept it manageable. Obviously, our defense made adjustments right away if the Bills couldn't do anything after four possessions. But with the game on the line, our defense gave our offense every chance to take it while our offense kept screwing our defense over by giving the Bills offense good-decent field position with their inability to move the ball. They couldn't even give the defense much of a breather.
Its also about how they started. The offense scored 21 points on the road... given where this defense "should" be, and where it was the last 4 weeks, I'd have taken those odds that they'd have won the game. We all know the offense is pedestrian... the defense is the only aspect that could potentially make this not only a playoff team, but a team that could actually steal a game or two. However, giving up 21 points in a half to a not-elite offense is not going to win many games for you... regardless of what your offense is.
Those were all pre draft examples or a guy (kurt Warner) coaches hadn't seen much of. BOB saw Mallet up close for years and somehow thought he was good. The rest of the world saw him play two games and realized how stupid that was. Thankfully BOB finally did the same and moved on
LOL. Did you watch the end of the game? The Bills scored twice after the 21 points in the first half. How can you say the defense held them to nothing for the rest of the way? Limiting an offense to less than 21 points is not all-world. It is very good but it is very doable. Shoot. The Titans did it to the Bills earlier in the season. Your second paragraph pretty much implies that the Texans got outcoached. You said Rex is one of the best defensive minds so for the Texans offense, as bad as they are, scoring 21 points is an accomplishment. You mention the offense's inability to move the ball. I mention penalties negating Watt's sack and the horrible coverage mess-up that was Charles Clay's touchdown. I could also mention the 50 yard pass to Watkins and the 30 yard run that led to Clay's TD. Again, I'm not defending the offense. The offense could have done better. The big money is on the defense so more is expected from them.
BTW Brian Hoyer hit 60% of his passes yesterday for 3 touchdowns and 1 interception (hail mary desperation) with a 94.4 rating. In comparison TJ Yates threw for less than 50% of his passes against the Jets for 229 yards and an 89 rating. I love TJ Yates big game ability (and his throws to Hopkins) but he is just not as consistent and accurate as Hoyer is.
Let's be clear. It was 1 year, and Mallett was a rookie behind Brady. Who said O'Brien thought Mallett was good? Mallett had the tools potential to be good, but he was never going to get a chance to play in New England. Texans traded a 7th rounder for him and a gave him a small, easily escapable contract. He was never assumed to be the starter, only given the chance to prove he could be. What's wrong with any of that? What's wrong with minimally investing in a QB with potential? Some of you act like he was brought in to be the savior and the Texans traded multiple high round picks for him and have him a huge mult-year deal with lots of guaranteed money? Some fans might've thought the was going to be the answer at QB but the team never acted that way. He's just a guy the Texans brought it. It didn't work. So what?
They were also examples of coaches/experts making mistakes in judgement, regardless of the circumstances. But, if you want more examples that fit your criteria: Scott Pioli thought Matt Cassel was a franchise QB, after being with him for years in New England. Marty Schottenheimer made the decision to use a high draft pick on Philip Rivers and get rid of Drew Brees after being with him for years. The defunct Houston Oilers thought they had the successor to Warren Moon in Cody Carlson, after watching him for years. Its happened umpteen times in NFL history... and I just named the negative examples, or situations where it didn't work out. Mallet himself continuing to be stupid makes the decision the decision look that much worse... perhaps some were willing to see if he had matured with age and would learn how to apply the necessary work ethic to maximize his talent... I don't fault coaches for having that sort of approach. At the same time, nobody should expect BOB or any coach to bat a thousand on every single decision.
